With marketing budgets stretched thin, every decision has to be carefully weighed.
Where is the best place to sink your advertising dollars?
What will reach your audience and convince them to take action?
While sleek print ads in the local paper might seem like a good idea and radio spots might sound like the best bet, branded merchandise will actually offer the best return on your investment.
Giving out branded merchandise offers a lower cost-per-impression than advertising on prime-time TV or in national magazines or newspapers, and a similar cost-per-impression to internet or radio ads.
The average cost-per-impression on promotional products in the U.S. is .6¢, where ads for newspapers, magazines, or TV range from .9¢ to 2.4¢ per impression.1
Plus, you are giving promotional products to your target audience instead of casting a wide net like you would with ads, giving you a better opportunity for return on your advertising efforts.
Promotional items are proven to work
While most people just toss mail outs without opening them and fast-forward through television ads, a shocking 85% of people say they like receiving a promotional product.
And, it’s not just about getting a freebie: promotional items actually work!
In fact, 89% of consumers report that they remember the name of the company that give them a promotional item and 85% say that they will then do business with that company. That’s pretty good odds for the simple act of handing out an inexpensive pen!
However, not all promotional items are created equal. Some will do a better job than others of reaching your target audience and communicating your message. So how do you choose?
Here are a handful of tips for selecting the right promotional items for your brand.
1. It must be useful
There are many eye-catching merch items out there, but if they don’t serve a purpose, they won’t stick around.
Your recipient might toss an impractical item in the junk drawer for a little while, but the next time they go on a decluttering binge, it will land it the trash.
Rather than tossing your advertising dollars in the waste bin, opt for items that people will use over and over again.
Key chains will be front and center each time they start their daily commute, but a keychain flashlight is even better because it does double duty.
Or, the High Polish Chrome Keychain Bottle Opener does double-duty as a key chain and a bottle opener. Plus, it looks sharp doing it!
Find something that fits in their daily life and they will see your brand every time they pick it up.
2. Choose a high-quality item
Not only do the items you hand out carry your name, they also convey a message about level of excellence you deliver. If branded merchandise feels flimsy, looks cheap or falls apart, it isn’t going to send the right message.
Instead, opt for items that demonstrate the commitment to quality you want your brand to be known for. Quality over quantity!
While a simple coffee mug might be a good choice, a travel mug will feel a bit more upscale and solid. Our stainless steel insulated drinkware is made of double-walled stainless steel, giving it a good weight. It also comes in 9 crisp colors, and your logo or business name lasers in sharp silver on the black material.
Not only will such a merch item look sharp, but it will be useful for years to come.
3. Mix it up
You know that annoying sound the refrigerator makes? No? You’ve probably heard it so long that you tune it out now.
Over time, people start to filter out things that have become routine.
Don’t let your merchandise items get stale. Instead switch it up and keep things interesting so that you continue to capture the attention of your recipients.
That doesn’t mean that you have to veer off in a totally different direction.
If you’ve given away pens for years, try switching to a triangle pen, a bamboo pen, or even a stylus pen. Or combine two options in one, with the Triad Triangle Stylus Pen.
The little change might be enough to recapture waning attention.
Branded merchandise has power — you just have to know how to harness it!
Try these simple ideas to promote your brand, and get the most out of your advertising budget.
1. ASI Central Ad Specialty Impressions Study, 2014. http://www.asicentral.com/Downloads/Public/impressionstudy/impressions-study-2014.pdf
